String clasp or button for envelopes



May 19, 1942. H. LEVINE STRING CLASP OR BUTT ON FOR ENVELOPES Filed Feb. 19, 1938 RE Y 0 W W E m W A Fig.4.

Patented May 19, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT orrice STRING CLASP R BUTTON FOR ENVELOPES Harry Levine, Brooklyn, N. Y. Application February 19, 1938, Serial No. 191,391

Claims.

sources of supply, and must be assembled together when making the envelope. The primary object of my invention is to generally improve string-closed envelopes of this character, and more particular objects are to simplify and cheapen the manufacture and attachment of the buttons or disks about which the string is wound. In accordance with my invention, I make the disk of sheet metal rather than fibre, and I form the sheet metal disk integrally with a tubular shank which functions as a rivet for attaching the disk to the envelope.

Further and more detailed objects of my invention are to provide means for automatically spacing parts of the disk from the surface of the envelope in order to provide space for the string; means tending to lock the string against movement when it is turned about the center of the button at the rivet; means to facilitate passage of the string beneath the disk or Winding of the string thereabout; and additional means for stiffening the disk while making the same out of light gauge sheet metal and further functioning to help retain or lock the end of the string in position.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing, and such other objects as will hereinafter appear, my invention consists in the string clasp and envelope elements and their relation one to the other, as hereinafter are more particularly described in the specification and sought to be defined in the claims. The specification is accompanied by a drawing in which:

Fig. 1 illustrates an envelope embodying features of my invention, the fiap being shown in closed condition;

Fig. 2 is a section taken in the plane of the line 22 of Fig. 1, but with the string unwound except for a starting loop permanently secured to the flap;

Fig. 3 is a section taken in the plane of the line 3-3 of Fig. 1, but with the string unwound except for an initial quarter turn about the button; and

Fig. 4 is a partially sectioned elevation showing the form of the button prior to its attachment to the envelope.

Referring to the drawing, the invention is shown applied to an envelope made up of a single piece of paper folded at the longitudinal edges [2 and M, to form fiaps l6 and 18 which overlap and are cemented together at 2B. A bottom flap 22 is folded upwardly at bottom edge 24 and is cemented to the body of the envelope. A top flap 26 is folded downwardly at the top edge 28 and forms an openable closure for the envelope. Flap 26 is provided with a button 30, while the body of the envelope is provided with a cooperating button 32. The fiap is held closed by winding a string 34 about the buttons 30 and 32.

These buttons have heretofore been made of a disk or washer of stiff fibre secured to the envelope by a metallic rivet. In accordance with the present invention, a single piece all-metal clasp is provided, and the configuration of this clasp before attachment to th envelope will be evident from inspection of Fig. 4. Referring to that figure, it may be explained that the button comprises a relative extensive generally fiat circular disk 40 and a tubular shank or rivet portion 42 projecting inwardly from the center of the disk. It should be observed that the disk is outwardly channeled just outside the shank, as is indicated at 44. This channel is intended to receive the string 36 with a frictional holding engagement, and the cross-section of the channel is preferably made less than the cross-section of the string. The disk is preferably additionally outwardly channeled at a point nearer the periphery of the disk, as is indicated at 46. This stifiens the disk so that it may be made of thin or light gauge sheet metal, and serves the additional function of receiving and helping retain in position the end of the string after it has been wound back and forth on or around the buttons. The peripheral portion 48 of the disk is preferably turned upwardly somewhat in order to facilitate the passage of string beneath the disk when winding the string about the button. I

The button is secured on flap 26 in conventional fashion, by using a riveting machine of generally conventional character. Inasmuch as the flap 26 has only a single thickness of paper, it is preferably backed 'or reinforced by a small piece of additional paper or cardboard 50, as is clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2. After the shank of thebutton has been passed through the flap, the reinforce 50 is compressed in a riveting machine which turns the inner edge of the shank outwardly against reinforce 50, as is indicated at 52 in Fig. 2. I may mention that some machines curl the metal around without splitting it radially, and other machines spread the metal while splitting it at a number of points about the periphery of the flange, and either type of machine may be used with the present invention.

I may further explain that it is convenient to wind one end of string 34 about the shank of clasp while riveting the clasp to the flap. This anchors one end of the string to the flap, the string occupying the space provided by the inner channel 44. It is not essential to thus rivet the string in place, for it can be added after the clasp has been secured to the flap. It will be understood that the generally fiat intermediate part of the disk insures some spacing for the string at the inner channel 44. If the end of the string is looped about the clasp and pulled hard enough to pass the flat portion 40, it becomes squeezed into the channel 44 and is there locked in position with surprising security. The locking action seems to arise first, because of the Wedging of the string into the channel, and secondly, because the point of crossover of the ends of the string tends to come within the channel, thus further locking the string, and finally, because the flat portion 40 of the disk tends 'to resist any outward swinging or unwinding of the string from beneath the disk.

The button 32 is similarly secured in place by expanding or riveting the-inner end of the shank outwardly to form a split flange or curled flange 54, much as is done with ordinary eyelets. I may mention that the riveting machine need not be adjusted to clamp the button down hard, or some slight space between the button and envelope is permissible. But because of its shape, the button may be riveted down tightly, without spoiling its utility. This point does not arise when securing the button 39 in place with the end of the string wound ther-eabout, for the string itself acts as a filler for the channel 44, and is intended to be clamped thereby. In such case, the pressure exerted is useful in that it anchors the end of the string in place.

No reinforce, such as the reinforce at button 30, has been provided at button 32, for the reason that the overlapping part 20 of the flaps l6 and I 8 provides a double thickness of material to which the button is anchored, and this makes the attachment adequate in strength. However, if the envelope has been folded up differently and is of only single thickness at the clasp, a reinforce patch of conventional type may be provided within the envelope beneath button 32.

In operation, the string 34 hanging from button 30 is wound about button 32 and drawn taut, and this causes the string to move inwardly past the flat part 40 and into the channeled part 44 of the button. The remainder of string 3 may be wound around either button or back and forth between the buttons, in accordance with the whim or habit of the person closing the envelope. The string may be wound about the buttons rapidly because of the upturned peripheral edge. The free end of the string, indicated at 56 in Fig. 1, does not unwind of itself from beneath the button, for any tendency towards such movement is restrained by the outer channel 46, in which the end part of the string tends to be received and held.

I shall attempt to explain the locking action provided by the inner channel 44 by referring to Fig. 3, but'it will be understood that this explanation is merely my present understanding as to the functioning of the invention and is not essential to successful practice of the invention, which may instead be considered an empirical discovery, as though no explanation were volunteered by me at all. Referring to Fig. 3, I show the condition of the string 34 when it has been almost wholly unwound from button 32. It will be seen that, in attempting to unwind the string by swinging it around beneath the button, the fiat parts of the disk bear down against the string and tend to restrain it from movement. Moreover, the innermost loop of the string is confined within channel 44, and the string must be pulled outwardly around the button with sufiicient force to draw the string out from the channel 44 and through the much more confined space beneath the fiat part of the disk.

It is believed that the construction and manner of use, as well as the advantages of my improved string clasp and envelope using the same, will be apparent from the foregoing detailed description thereof. It will also be apparent that, while I have shown and described my invention in a preferred form, many changes and modifications may be made in the structure disclosed without departing from the spirit of the invention defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. A button for a string-closed envelope, said button being made of a relatively extensive circular disk with a shank or rivet portion projecting inwardl from the center of said disk, said disk being outwardly channeled near the periphery of the disk, the peripheral portion of said disk outside said channel being turned outwardly to facilitate passage of a string beneath the disk when winding the string about the shank, said channel functioning to help anchor the string in position when said string is received in said channel, the inner end of said shank being adapted to be riveted to secure the button in place on an envelope.

2. A string-closed envelope, comprising an envelope body, a string, and a button made of a circular disk with a shank or rivet portion projecting inwardly from the center of said disk. said disk being outwardly channeled near the periphery of the disk, the peripheral portion of said disk outside said channel being turned outwardly to facilitate passage of a string beneath the disk when winding the string about the shank, said channel functioning to help anchor the string in position when said string is received in said channel, the inner end of said shank being riveted to secure the button in place on the envelope body.

3. A string-closed envelope comprising a body portion, a flap for closing said body portion, a button secured to said flap and another secured to said body portion, and a string adapted to extend between and to be wound around said buttons in order to hold the flap in closed condition, each of said buttons being made of a single piece of metal shaped to form a relatively extensive circular disk, and a tubular shank or rivet portion projecting inwardly from the center of said disk, said disk being outwardly channeled just outside the tubular shank, said disk being additionally outwardly channeled at a point near the periphery of the disk, said channels functioning to help anchor the string in position when said string is received in said channels, the peripheral portion of said disk outside said channel being turned outwardly somewhat to facilitate passage of string beneath the disk when winding the string about the button.

4. A string-closed envelope comprising a body portion, a flap for closing said body portion, a button secured to said flap and another secured to said body portion, and a string adapted to extend between and to be wound around said buttons in order to hold the flap in closed condition, each of said buttons being made of a single piece of metal shaped to form a relatively extensive flat circular disk, and a tubular shank or rivet portion projecting inwardly from the center of saiddisk and formed integrally with said disk, said disk being outwardly channeled just outside the tubular shank, the peripheral portion of said disk being turned outwardly somewhat to facilitate passage of the string beneath the disk when winding the string about the button, said channel functioning to help anchor the string in position when said string is received in said channel, said button being a true body of revolution so that its orientation is without significance.

5. A button for a string-closed envelope, said button being made of a relatively extensive circu-' lar disk with a tubular shank or rivet portion projecting inwardly from the center of said disk, said disk being outwardly channeled just outside the shank, said disk being outwardly channeled near the periphery ofthe disk, the peripheral of said shank being adapted to be riveted to secure the button in place on an envelope.

HARRY LEVINE. 

